Even when he visualized it, Jon Montgomery never saw himself as host of The Amazing Race Canada. But, on Thursday morning, the Olympic gold medalist best known for chugging a post-victory beer was trotted out at the CTV Upfronts presentation in Toronto to be introduced as just that.

“I always thought I could be on this show with a family member, maybe my wife,” the red-haired, crystal-blue-eyed Montgomery told Postmedia. “It wasn’t anything that I ever set out expecting to do.”

It’s been over three years since the men’s skeleton racer became something of a national icon. His helmet in hand, the Manitoba native strutted down a Vancouver street and into Olympic lore when he guzzled down a pitcher of beer handed to him by a fan after winning gold during the 2010 Vancouver Games.

For a host nation disappointed by a weak showing up to that point, Montgomery became a golden boy fans could not only relate to, but cheer on as one of their own.

“I am basically the dude that ran around with beer,” the now 34-year-old says. “I’m an average Canadian, I like the things average Canadians like, listen to and drink. I was just a fellow that worked hard to accomplish a goal that happened to play out on a world stage so I’m proud at how people perceive me as an Average Joe Canadian, beer-drinking guy because that is what I am.”

Being The Gold Medal Beer Dude allowed Montgomery, a semi-pro for 10 years to become a full-time athlete (he’s currently preparing to defend his title at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia). He also made the occasional foray into broadcast with appearances in support of Red Bull’s extreme sport series, Crushed Ice.

Unbeknownst to Montgomery, when the time came to look for a Canadian host for the inaugural season of The Amazing Race, his name came up.

“I was on tour so what happened behind the scenes I don’t know, but they initially had some thought of me potentially filling this role,” he explains. “To see some idea of what I’d done on camera before a fella in Calgary put together a demo reel while I was away competing and then told me that I had this opportunity to come to Toronto and audition for it.”

Audition passed, the Olympian was given the job and was soon on the road with the cast travelling around the country where eager fans used social networking to track their progress online.

“We did get some attention but people didn’t really know,” the host explains. “If they bothered to ask we’d just tell them we were shooting a travel show.”

With the series already wrapped, Montgomery is now set to return to training for the upcoming Olympic Games.

“I wasn’t thinking about life after sport just yet but it landed in my lap at a perfect opportunity and to have not taken advantage of this opportunity simply because I had training to do for 2014 I think would have been a big mistake on my part,” he says. “Actually the way it worked out, as far as timing is concerned, it couldn’t have been better.”

As for what’s in store when the series premieres July 15 on CTV, the average Canadian says to expect anything but.

“Viewers are going to get crazy drama. What happens on the Canadian show maybe happened once a season on the US [version] but we’re getting it every week at every stop.”

“We did get some attention but people didn’t really know,” the host explains. “If they bothered to ask we’d just tell them we were shooting a travel show.”

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

“We felt it was important that the unique and compelling landscapes of Canada’s North be showcased in this high-profile program,” said Nunavut Tourism CEO Colleen Dupuis in a press release.

Although the deal was signed earlier this year, strict confidentiality agreements preclude any further details being released at this time.

Viewers will have to wait until the closer to broadcast to see how Canada’s North has been featured. A media buy will also be executed during the program to promote Canada’s North as a tourism destination to millions of Canadians.

Gee, they could just come here and find out all they wanted to know...

Let's put all the new contestant info in the Contestant thread? Thanks!!

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"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

A pair of TV personalities, twin sisters, a father and son, a hippie couple, gay cowboys -- these are just five of the nine teams ready to participate on "Amazing Race Canada."

Set to premiere on Monday, July 15, "Amazing Race Canada" is the biggest race in Canadian game show history.

While other iterations of the Race have had 11 or 12 teams, "ARC"s nine teams promise to pack a punch. Among the most notable pairings is the BodyBreak team, featuring Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod, who have been TV fitness instructors for almost all of their adult lives. Easily recognizable, this pair is the early favourite to take home the top prize of $250,000, some free travel, and a pair of Chevy Stingrays.

"With thousands and thousands of applications for 'The Amazing Race Canada,' we had the near-impossible task of picking nine teams to run the race,” said John Brunton, Chairman and CEO Insight Productions. "We had so many top notch groups to choose from we could have filled multiple seasons. Canadians showed us once again why this is the best country in the world, and our cast just magnifies our diversity and spirit."

"Teams will need to bring their A-game in a race for one of the most lucrative prizes in television and largest in Canadian television history," said Phil King, President, CTV Programming and Sports. "With the stakes now raised, we can't wait to see how hard teams will push themselves to cross the finish line first."

Added John Brunton, Chairman and CEO, Insight Productions: "This is all so exciting. The stakes are real, the grand prize is eye-popping, and I fully expect teams to lay it all on the line from the start of the race to the finish line."

Hosted by Canadian Olympic champion Jon Montgomery, "Amazing Race Canada" is shaping up to be the show of the summer.

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

Some of this seems like it could be awesome!The original press release can be seen here: http://bit.ly/12m6R9f

Quote

CTV Delivers Unprecedented Access to THE AMAZING RACE CANADA– CTV creates exclusive digital content for all four top-tier sponsors: BlackBerry, Chevrolet Canada, Air Canada, and Interac Association –– Viewers have the opportunity to win up to $185,000 in prizing –– Fans can be part of #RaceCDA with an innovative digital series, exclusive video, thrilling gamisodes, an interactive map, and premium contests available on CTV.ca –Jul · 10 · 13

TORONTO (July 10, 2013) – With the debut of this summer’s most-anticipated series THE AMAZING RACE CANADA less than a week away, CTV announced today complementary content that gives fans everything they need to participate in the race of a lifetime – including viewer prizing of up to $185,000. The customized activations and original content from BlackBerry, Air Canada, Chevrolet Canada, and Interac Association are available at CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada beginning next Monday, July 15 to coincide with the series’ premiere that night. Features on the site include a digital series with unparalleled behind-the-scenes access, thrilling gamisodes, exclusive video, an interactive map to track the racers, and premium viewer contests.

“THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is the perfect series to collaborate with our partners to create and deliver unique content to CTV.ca that can provide an extended Race experience to Canadians everywhere,” said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. “From an exclusive digital after-show to a unique cheer-to-win contest, these online extensions provide fans the opportunity to further explore our great country and participate in the race of a lifetime.”

INSIDE THE RACE WITH BLACKBERRY is an exclusive digital companion series for THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, hosted by ETALK’s Danielle McGimsie (@MissDMcG) and Teddy Wilson (@TeddyWilson), co-host of INNERSPACE and NEVER EVER DO THIS AT HOME. Starting Tuesday, July 16 at 10 a.m. ET, with new episodes available each week, adventurous fans can go behind the scenes with in-depth, post-race analysis, including exclusive interviews with racers and never-before-seen footage. Top tidbits from across the Twitterverse will be featured on-screen during INSIDE THE RACE WITH BLACKBERRY episodes. Fans will also have a chance to win a weekly prize of a BlackBerry® Z10TM by answering questions related to that week’s episode, as well as a grand prize of $5,000 cash.

Also on Tuesday, July 16, viewers can join THE AMAZING RACE CANADA host Jon Montgomery (@jrmonty12) for Fast Track Gamisodes from Chevrolet Canada. Filmed on location, the gamisodes allow fans to compete in online versions of the same challenges the teams tackle in the Race to unlock exclusive THE AMAZING RACE CANADA footage. Plus, starting Monday, July 15, ETALK's Danielle McGimsie (@MissDMcG) and TSN's Cabbie Richards (@therealcabbie) go head-to-head in the race-inspired online series FINDING NEW ROADS, presented by Chevrolet Canada. The two-minute episodes feature the hosts competing in nine challenges incorporating the features of selected Chevrolet vehicles. A new challenge is unlocked for viewers each week.

Each week, as of Monday, July 15, viewers are invited to enter the Air Canada Cheer to Win Contest online by choosing their favourite team. Viewers can earn bonus entries if their team avoids elimination and by correctly answering trivia questions on destinations visited in the show. Featuring the same weekly prizes awarded to the winning team at the pit stop, viewers can enter once a week for the duration of the show. Everyone who enters the weekly contest will be included in a draw for the grand prize, a year of travel for two people in Executive First class to all 175 destinations Air Canada flies to worldwide – just like the winners of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA.

Also starting Monday, July 15, fans can play the INTERAC FlashTM Memory Game sponsored by Interac Association for a chance to win a $5,000 grand prize and daily $200 gift cards from various merchants. Plus, starting the week of Monday, July 22, fans can register online at CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada to participate in the INTERAC Flash Challenge. This live event allows fans to participate in speed inspired challenges in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver for a chance to win a share of $25,000 in prizing.

Anchoring CTV’s Summer 2013 schedule, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 15 on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). THE AMAZING RACE CANADA will also air TSN on Tuesdays at 12 midnight ET/PT beginning July 16, on RDS2 Wednesdays at 6 p.m. ET beginning July 17, and TSN2 on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 17, as well as on demand across CTV’s digital platforms: CTV.ca, the CTV App, and through video on demand partners.

THE AMAZING RACE CANADA is produced by Insight Productions in association with CTV and with the support of Profiles Television. Executive Producers for Insight Productions are John Brunton and Barbara Bowlby, and Supervising Producer is Mark Lysakowski. Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri are executive producers for Profiles Television. Robin Johnston is the CTV Production Executive. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports.

About CTV

CTV is Canada's #1 private broadcaster. Featuring a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming, CTV has been Canada’s most-watched television network for the past 12 years in a row. CTV is a division of Bell Media, Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio and digital. Bell Media is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company. More information about CTV can be found on the network’s website at CTV.ca.

For a world-class athlete, Jon Montgomery watches a surprising amount of television.He and his teammates on Canada’s skeleton-racing team fill their downtime in European hotel rooms binge watching series such as Entourage . . . and The Bachelor.“If we’ve got two days, there could be a solid 12 hours of television for me,” Montgomery says with a shrug and a smile.Add in the fact that he won the heart of a nation by celebrating his gold medal win at the Vancouver Olympics by swigging beer out of a pitcher surrounded by his fellow countrymen, and the 34-year-old seems a natural pick to host The Amazing Race Canada.Slight problem: despite extensive experience being grilled by the media, Montgomery was a novice in the production of TV. Still, the outgoing native of Russell, Man., relished the chance to flex some new muscles when the producers called.

Jon Montgomery, host of The Amazing Race Canada, records dialogue in the Ear Candy studio in Calgary.Jon Montgomery, host of The Amazing Race Canada, records dialogue in the Ear Candy studio in Calgary.

“I thought it would be some good professional development to go and do an audition,” Montgomery says. “Lo and behold, they did give me the gig. It was a no-brainer. ‘Yes, please. What would you like me to do?’ ”That should have been: what wouldn’t they like you to do, Jon? Having signed away my first-born child in a $1-million non-disclosure agreement so I could visit a TARC shooting location (or two, or three), I can only tell you that Mr. Montgomery . . . hmm, walks and talks to the cameras, charms the extras involved in challenges, gamely repeats his lines with unwavering energy and enthusiasm, does a little dance and racks up more flying time than Superman on a busy day. Oh, and he also gets to try out those challenges.“They’re not life-threatening. Nobody should expect to potentially lose their life doing a race on television,” the impossibly fit red-head says with a laugh. “But I tell you what: they are mentally taxing beyond belief. Trying to get your brain wrapped around doing some of these things is terrifying.“It’s not going to kill them, but it might make them wet themselves.”For those who haven’t seen the American version of The Amazing Race (Canada is the 12th international instalment), here’s what’s what: teams of two are pitted against each other in a race to the finish. At the start of each leg, the teams are given clues detailing where they are going, and how they have to get there. (More than one racer’s fate has been sealed by taking an improper mode of transport.)A route marker at their initial destination holds another clue, which might be a detour — which describes two tasks, of which the team must complete one — or a roadblock. Only one team member can attempt the roadblock, and the clues are pretty mysterious, so they don’t know what they’re signing up for. On it goes (with other obstacles such as U-Turns and Yields) until all the teams reach that episode’s final destination: the Pit Stop. The last team to arrive may (key word) be eliminated.The first team across the finish line on the final leg of the race takes the grand prize: $250,000, a pair of Corvette Stingrays and passes to fly free for a year on Air Canada — in executive class, no less — anywhere the airline flies.

And the nine teams chasing that payoff — flitting and flashing across seven provinces and three territories over the course of 22 days — want it. Like, Stanley Cup-level want it.“This notion that Canadians are always polite, this will probably put that notion to bed,” executive producer John Brunton says with a laugh. “They are very, very, very competitive group of people and they are desperately trying to win.”

I spoke with the CEO and chair of Insight Productions, which is producing the show for CTV, at one of those undisclosed locations that I’m not allowed to tell you about. Suffice it to say, Brunton was more than impressed with his surroundings and thinks viewers will be, too. Critics who slammed the show for not leaving the confines of Canada are missing the point, Brunton says.“You can travel all over the world in Canada. Every culture is represented. . . . You can go to different neighbourhoods (in one city) and be immersed in the culture of those countries,” he says. “We were just (somewhere) and there is a whole lot of people that only speak (a language other than English or French). Similarly, we are going (someplace else), and there are entire communities that continue to speak (another language). It’s unbelievable.”A visit to the U.S.’s The Amazing Race when it was shooting in Scotland provided a glimpse of what was to come for The Amazing Race Canada.“It was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time,” Brunton recalls. “They gave us lots of little secrets, but of course, we have to make it our own. . . . We have to put our own Canadian DNA into the program and represent who we are.”Part of that mix comes courtesy of Montgomery, who had a maple leaf tattoed over his heart long before he represented his country as an Olympian. Instead of whooping it up at Stampede with his fellow Calgarians, he’s hard at work in the basement of Ear Candy, an audio boutique on 10th Avenue S.W. He’s in the studio recording dialogue for the second episode of TARC, while the show’s supervising producer, Mark Lysakowski, looks on.As he re-reads that classic intro, “This week, on The Amazing Race Canada,” images flash on a large television screen of what went down in the first episode. Again, no spilling the beans, but what I’ve seen looks . . . amazing. (They won’t sue me for that, will they?)Montgomery says while the Canadian backdrop provides stellar cinematic images — “”The audience will see parts of it that will blow their minds; they don’t think it exists here at home” — it’s the racers who will have viewers coming back for more every week.“These people were pushed beyond their limits. Plus, there is the human drama of living with someone you know very well during a competition. They are experiencing an adventure, and the types of interaction they have with each other over the course of the show are very father and son like, very married couple like, very sibling like. And you get to watch it all unfold.”

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

We know there are nine teams and one host but how many flights did they each take across the country? How many provinces did they visit? And how many arguments did one team have? As we count down to Monday’s premiere at 9/8C on CTV, find out all the facts about ‘The Amazing Race Canada’ here.

Total number of times that teams got lost during The Race: 25

Most arguments for one team: 15

Oldest competitor: 57

Youngest competitor: 21

Biggest age gap between competitors on the same team: 25 (Tim Sr./Tim Jr.)

Smallest age gap between competitors on the same team: Less than one hour (Treena/Tennille)

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

Forecast: Hosted by Canadian Olympic champion Jon Montgomery, this is a must-watch of the summer. Enjoy the spectacle of seeing these eclectic groups navigate our vast, diverse country. Most of them will see more of Canada in the course of this game than any of us do in our lifetimes. I'd like to see the next federal election settled on Amazing Race Canada. Imagine Stephen Harper and John Baird trying to hail a cab with a $90,000 cheque in the middle of a snowstorm on the Trans-Canada Highway in Saskatchewan, or locked in a two-legged snowshoe race in Nunavut against Justin Trudeau and Marc Garneau.

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

Host Jon Montgomery gives his take on the leg’s most challenging tasks, the choices the teams made and what we didn’t see in Episode 1.

Spoilers Ahead!

Q: What was your favourite stop on the leg?

Montgomery: Obviously, Kelowna. I got married there two years ago so it has a special place in my heart. We chose to get married there because of its unrivalled beauty and weather and its culture. It has a real cool vibe to the area.

Q: Which part of the leg was the most fun? The most challenging?

Montgomery: I think the most fun was actually getting to do my first ‘mat chat.’ It was blindingly nerve-wracking. I almost passed out I’m sure but to be able to do it the first time was my favourite part. The most exciting part was jumping off the (Bellevue Trestle) bridge. Those sorts of things get my adrenaline pumping and the hair on the back of my neck standing up and you know you’re pushing yourself when you have those types of feelings . . . That’s where I find that I feel like I’m really living. That was also the most challenging, as was learning my role and finding my voice.

Q: What do you think was the most difficult Roadblock or Detour the teams had to complete?

Montgomery: It depends. When Celina’s on the bridge, you hear Vanessa saying, ‘I conquered my biggest fear. You have to do the same.’

Going under the water for someone like myself, claustrophobia-type (tasks), if you’re under water and hate it, might be really taxing. For others, it might be the heights.

Q: Where do you think eliminated team Treena and Tennille went wrong?

Montgomery: It could’ve started as far back as the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory. When things start to go sideways, they have a tendency to continue to slip away from you if you don’t recompose yourself. It could have been at the very beginning where they began to lose ground and make mistakes.

Undoubtedly other people are going to have falters along the way and missteps but I think what will determine their success will be how they recover from that and how they move forward with some purpose.

Q: Did anything else interesting or unusual happen that we didn’t see in the episode?

Montgomery: Brett showed up to the mat chat with no underwear. That was a surprise. He said, ‘I’m not wearing any underwear’ and was holding them in his hand the whole time. I think they were chafing him.

Canada’s North, a pan-territorial marketing consortium made up of the three territorial governments, announced they have signed a deal to sponsor the new Bell Media series The Amazing Race Canada, premiering July 15 on CTV.

The Amazing Race Canada is a soon-to-debut reality game show based on its American television counterpart The Amazing Race. The series will feature teams of two in a race around Canada.

Olympic skeleton gold medallist Jon Montgomery will host the show.

“We felt it was important that the unique and compelling landscapes of Canada’s North be showcased in this high-profile program,” said Nunavut Tourism CEO Colleen Dupuis in a press release.

Although the deal was signed earlier this year, strict confidentiality agreements preclude any further details being released at this time.

Viewers will have to wait until the closer to broadcast to see how Canada’s North has been featured. A media buy will also be executed during the program to promote Canada’s North as a tourism destination to millions of Canadians.

“We are really excited about the prospect of this exposure for the territories and tourism,” stated Brian Desjardins, executive director of N.W.T. Tourism.

“This type of high profile program and television production is not something any of us could have afforded to do on our own,” said Denny Kobayashi, manager of Global Marketing for Tourism Yukon.

“We need to do things that are different and help us break through the clutter in a very competitive marketplace.”

Canada’s North marketing consortium is funded by Cannor and is in its final year of the current four-year agreement.

The group was formed formally for the 2007 Canada Games after which it marketed the very successful Canada’s Northern House during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Amazing Race Canada, You Gotta Eat Here! among early winners at the Canadian Screen Awards

TORONTO - "The Amazing Race Canada" and "You Gotta Eat Here!" were among the winners at the Canadian Screen Awards on Tuesday night.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television handed out trophies at an industry gala for news and sports, documentary, lifestyle, reality and digital media categories.

CTV's reality series "The Amazing Race Canada" scored three wins — for best photography in a lifestyle of reality series, best writing in a reality series and best cross-platform project, non-fiction. Food Network Canada's "You Gotta Eat Here" nabbed best lifestyle series and best direction in a lifestyle series.

TSN's coverage of the Grey Cup topped sports categories, winning best live sports event, best sports analyst in a sports program for Glen Suitor, best direction for a live sporting event, and best sports program for "100 Grey Cup Pre-Game."

In the news categories, "CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme" was named best national newscast, "CBC News: the fifth estate" claimed best news information series and "CBC News: The National" won best news special for its coverage of the capture of the Boston marathon bombing suspect.

An industry gala on Wednesday night is set to honour winners in drama, children's, youth, comedy and variety categories. The Canadian Screen Awards is set to announce winners in the biggest film and TV categories this weekend with a star-studded bash in Toronto.

A Markdale native has been awarded one of the highest honours in Canadian television.

Ryan Shaw, who grew up in Markdale and now calls Toronto home, has received a Canadian Screen Award for best photography in a lifestyle or reality/competition program or series for his work as director of photography in the first season of The Amazing Race Canada.

It is humbling," said Shaw, who received the award Tuesday in Toronto during a presentation of some of the awards as part of Canada Screen Week. The main gala for the second annual awards, which combines the previously separated Genie Awards and Gemini Awards, was Sunday evening in Toronto.

Shaw said the award actually goes to the whole camera and sound team involved in the filming of The Amazing Race. Shaw said the crews ran through the race with the contestants and captured all the special moments that were seen in the final production on television.

"The award really goes out to the entire team, not just to one guy or two guys. It is just too big of a job," said Shaw. "I was just the lucky guy who got my name on the trophy."

Shaw, shared the award with his American colleague Peter Rieveschl, who Shaw said came from the U.S. production of The Amazing Race and was instrumental in making the Canadian version work.

As part of the team on The Amazing Race, Shaw was responsible for running the whole look of the show with the producers, setting up cameras at race locations and co-ordinating camera and sound teams with contestants. Shaw's role during the race was as a "runner cam."

"I enjoy being sort of physical instead of sitting around, so I said I would be able to do it but I wanted to be able to run with one of the teams," said Shaw. "They said absolutely so I ran right to the end."

Shaw is a freelance director and cameraman based in Toronto who has worked on various other projects, including Top Chef, Masterchef and a TVO Kids show called Giver. He just got back to Toronto from Miami where he was shooting NHL Revealed.

Shaw grew up in Markdale and attended Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton. His parents are Connie and Ron Shaw, and he has three sisters, Angela, Kelly and Jaci.

Shaw admitted that in high school he wasn't the best student and didn't spend a lot of time at school.

"If I applied myself I would do fine, but I just never really went," said Shaw, who attributes farmer Ray Robertson for instilling a good work ethic into him and Grade 12 English teacher Laura Cannon-Sherlock for making school interesting again by allowing him to do a project on anything he wanted. He chose to do a project on the making of the Titanic movie and received 98%.

"She sort of instilled in me that when I set my mind to it I can do it, if I find something I enjoy."

Shaw's first foray into camera work came when he signed up for a communications technology course at Grey Highlands, where he learned about making videos, editing and photography.

"That is sort of what planted the seed," said Shaw, who also did a co-op placement in Owen Sound with Drew Ferguson and Kirk Scott of CKNX news. "The work sort of found me, I guess you could say."

Shaw's next planned project is the second season of The Amazing Race Canada, with preparation work expected to start shortly.

"I am so fortunate to work on a show like The Amazing Race and see Canada on foot" said Shaw, who lives in Toronto with his wife Lara, a television producer and director, and daughters Simone and Estelle. "It really is amazing, no pun intended."

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

CTV's THE AMAZING RACE CANADA Welcomes Four Premier Sponsors for Season 2

- Sponsorships to include in-show integrations, digital integrations on CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada, and brand extensions -- Season 2 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA set to anchor CTV's summer 2014 schedule -

TORONTO, March 12, 2014 /CNW/ - Following a record-breaking first season, CTV announced today that four premier sponsors have joined Season 2 of the mega-hit competition series THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. The four, top-tier sponsors - Air Canada (represented by Mindshare), Chevrolet, Dairy Queen® Canada (represented by MediaCom Beyond Advertising, MediaCom's content division), and Scotiabank (represented by PHD) - create a stellar team of new and returning brands, with Air Canada and Chevrolet back for a second straight year. All four brands will play an integral role this season in showcasing a series that was appointment television last summer, captivating millions from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

"It takes a well-oiled team to win the Race and we're certain we have the winning combination with our four premier partners," said Laird White, Director, Brand Partnerships, Bell Media. "We look forward to sharing this adventure of a lifetime with these iconic brands."

CTV Brand Partnerships is currently working with the four premier clients on customized activations and original branded content across multiple broadcasts, digital and social platforms that will complement Season 2 of THE AMAZING RACE CANADA. The four clients will receive innovative brand extensions and various in-show integrations throughout the sophomore season, as well as an online presence on CTV.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada. Specific details will be announced closer to broadcast.

Following the Season 2 casting announcement in November 2013, THE AMAZING RACE CANADA received thousands of applications from across the country, comprised of pairings from all kinds of relationships. The final teams will be announced closer to broadcast. Fans are encouraged to follow @AmazingRaceCDA and stay tuned to the CTV Facebook page for updates.

The most-watched Canadian television series on record, Season 1 of the blockbuster, record-breaking, fan-favourite THE AMAZING RACE CANADA raced ahead of the pack with an average audience of 3.5 million viewers each week. Hosted by Olympic champion and Canadian hero Jon Montgomery, the smash-hit original series vaulted into the record books as Canada's most-watched TV series last summer and the second most-watched television program of the entire broadcast year. Covering 10 dramatic legs that introduced Canadians to elements of their country that they had never known before, in the end it was "The Tims" who would prevail as the first-ever THE AMAZING RACE CANADA champions. Season 2 is set to anchor CTV's summer 2014 schedule.

It's a long slide show - 88 pictures - so I didn't go through it all. They say were tipped off to some info. That probably explains one of the first slides being Rex Harrington and Robert Hope.

'Amazing Race Canada' Season 2: Teams We'd Love To See

In just over a month, "Amazing Race Canada" will start up again for Season 2. The inaugural season's contestants came from a variety of different places in life -- Season 1 featured brothers, a father-son team (who eventually won the whole thing), sisters, married couples, best friends -- and ensured there was a lot of drama at all times.

Expect nothing less from Season 2; "Amazing Race Canada" producers will have to up the ante to maintain the show's success. Having already been made privy to some Season 2 spoilers (for example, we're 99 percent certain the Race is going outside of Canadian borders this time around), we also have some insider knowledge about who some of the competing pairs are. [Ed. Note: We will not reveal who those teams are until CTV officially announces them.]

Here are some of our dream team pairings for "Amazing Race Canada" Season 2. Don't take them too seriously, folks, this is for fun. If you have any hypothetical teams you would love to see, let us know in the comments below!

"Amazing Race Canada" Season 2 will premiere on Tuesday, July 8 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.

THE AMAZING RACE CANADASeason 2, Insight Productions, 12 x :60, CTVThe race of a lifetime restarts with the season premiere of the blockbuster, record-breaking, original series THE AMAZING RACE CANADA, which kicks off its exhilarating second edition on a new night this summer, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning July 8 on CTV and CTV GO. Hosted once again by Olympic champion and Canadian hero Jon Montgomery, the hit series became a country’s obsession and the most-watched Canadian series on record last summer, with an average of 3.5 million viewers.